He twisted his bulk in the creaking chair and stared at Alleyn.

‘Perfectly splendid that you have responded with such magnificent celerity to our cri du coeur, Alleyn. We shall now resume, thankfully, the upholstered leisure of the not too front, front stall.’

‘Don’t be too sure of that, sir,’ said Alleyn. ‘It looks as if there’s a weary grind ahead of us.’

‘O God, how insupportably dreary! What, hasn’t the solution been borne in upon you in a single penetrating flash? Pray expect no help from me. Have you got a cigarette, Harper?’

Alleyn offered his case.

‘Thank you. I haven’t even a match, I’m afraid. Ah, thank you.’ Colonel Brammington lit his cigarette and goggled at Alleyn. ‘I suppose Harper’s given you the whole tedious rigmarole,’ he said.

‘He’s given me the file. I suggest that Fox and I take it with us to Ottercombe and digest it.’

‘O Lord! Yes, do. Yes, of course. But you’ve discussed the case?’

‘Yes, sir. Mr Harper has given me an excellent survey of the country.’

‘It’s damned difficult country. Now, on the face of it, what’s your opinion, accident or not?’

‘On the face of it,’ said Alleyn, ‘not.’

‘O Lord!’ repeated Colonel Brammington. He got up with surprising agility from his tortured chair, and moved restlessly about the room. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I agree with you. The fellow was murdered. And of all the damned unconscionable methods of despatching a man! An envenom’d stuck, by God! How will you hunt it home to this fellow?’

‘Which fellow, sir?’

‘The murderer, my dear man. Legge! A prating soapbox orator of a fellow, I understand; some squalid little trouble-hatcher. Good God, my little Alleyn, of course he’s your man! I’ve said so from the beginning. There was cyanide on the dart. He threw the dart. He deliberately pinked his victim.’

‘Harper,’ said Alleyn with a glance at the superintendent’s shocked countenance, ‘tells me that several of the others agree that Legge had no opportunity to anoint the dart with cyanide or anything else.’

‘Drunk!’ cried Colonel Brammington. ‘Soaked in a damn’ good brandy, the lot of ‘em. My opinion.’

‘It’s possible, of course.’

‘It’s the only answer. My advice, for what it’s worth is, haul him in for manslaughter. Ought to have been done at first only that drooling old pedagogue Mordant didn’t put it to the jury. However, you must do as you think best.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ said Alleyn gravely. Brammington grinned.

‘The very pineapple of politeness,’ he quoted. ‘Come and dine with me tomorrow. Both of you.’

‘May I ring up?’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Colonel Brammington impatiently. ‘Certainly.’

He hurried to the door as if overcome by an intolerable urge to move on somewhere. In the doorway he turned.

‘You’ll come round to my view,’ he said, ‘I’ll be bound you will.’